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,:~;=£#@## ##@#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#@## ##@#£=;~:,
:~;=£#£@## WINDS ESKER ##@£#£=;~:
,:~;=£#£@# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #@£#£=;~:,
,,,,~=££#£ £#££=~,,,,
,,:::~~;£# THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS #£;~~:::,,
,:~;=£#£## I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ##£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@@ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT @@£#£=;~:,
,,,,::;;=# ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN #=;;::,,,,
,:~;=£###@ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE @###£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£##£@ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING @£##£=;~:,
,,,,,,:;=# KEPT ME AWAY. #=;:,,,,,,
,:~;=£#£@# #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£###@ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME @###£=;~:,
,,,,::~=££ HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ££=~::,,,,
,,,,,~~;£# ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN #£;~~,,,,,
,,,,~=£##£ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN £##£=~,,,,
,,,,,,:~=# THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND #=~:,,,,,,
,:~=£#£@## ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ##@£#£=~:,
,,,,::~=## BLUEBERRIES. ##=~::,,,,
,,,::~;£££ £££;~::,,,
,:~;=£#£## WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ##£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#££@ NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE @££#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@@ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY @@£#£=;~:,
,,,,::;;=# WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD #=;;::,,,,
,:~;=£#£@@ STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON @@£#£=;~:,
,,,,~~=£££ BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD £££=~~,,,,
,,,,,:;£££ ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND £££;:,,,,,
,,,,,:;£££ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY £££;:,,,,,
,:::;=£££# WERE, I HAD TO STOP. #£££=;:::,
,,,,~;==## ##==;~,,,,
,:~;=£££## THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ##£££=;~:,
,,,::~=#£@ LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND @£#=~::,,,
,:~;=£#@## BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ##@#£=;~:,
,,,:~;==#£ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN £#==;~:,,,
,,,,::;=££ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ££=;::,,,,
,,,,,,:~=# POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE #=~:,,,,,,
,:~;=#£@## IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ##@£#=;~:,
,,,::~=##@ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES @##=~::,,,
,:~;=££@## AWAY. ##@££=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£## I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ##£#£=;~:,
,,:~~;==#£ ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, £#==;~~:,,
,,,,,,:;=# FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T #=;:,,,,,,
,,,,~;=£#£ REMEMBER. £#£=;~,,,,
,,,,,:;=#@ @#=;:,,,,,
,,,,~~;££@ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF @££;~~,,,,
:~;=£#£@## THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ##@£#£=;~:
,:~;=£#@## OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ##@#£=;~:,
,,::~~=££# MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH #££=~~::,,
,,,,,,:~=# THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED #=~:,,,,,,
,,,,~;;£££ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE £££;;~,,,,
,:~;=£#£@# GROUND ITSELF. #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#@## ##@#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE #@£#£=;~:,
,,,,,,~=££ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ££=~,,,,,,
,:~;=£##£@ SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, @£##£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE #@£#£=;~:,
,,,:~~==£# FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE #£==~~:,,,
,:;=£#£@## TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ##@£#£=;:,
,,:::;£££@ THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE @£££;:::,,
,:~~;==##£ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE £##==;~~:,
,:~;=£#£## FORK. ##£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#@## THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ##@#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS #@£#£=;~:,
,,,,,,~;=# MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, #=;~,,,,,,
,:~;=£#£@# OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP #@£#£=;~:,
,,,,,~;=## ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ##=;~,,,,,
,:~;=£#£@# I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS #@£#£=;~:,
,:~=£#£@## FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ##@£#£=~:,
,,,,,~=£#£ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. £#£=~,,,,,
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,:~;=£#£## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£##££ ££##£=;~:,
,:~;;===#£ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN £#===;;~:,
,:~;=£#£@@ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE @@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£@# STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? #@£#£=;~:,
,:~;=£#£## ##£#£=;~:,
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